COP11 should develop strong work plan to support customary sustainable use

A new action plan is being developed at COP11 to support and encourage indigenous peoples in their customary sustainable practices, which reflect their careful and protective interaction with the natural environment. The development of the action plan on customary sustainable use is very important. Recent research shows many countries lack effective policies and practices to support and protect indigenous peoples’ traditional sustainable use of natural resources, and as a consequence customary practices worldwide are under serious threat. A sticking point in the CBD has always been the lack of recognition of the inextricable link between secure land, resource and tenure rights and the ability of indigenous peoples to apply, generate, maintain, and transmit their customary sustainable practices and their associated knowledge. These linkages should be firmly acknowledged and supported by Parties in the new action plan and other decisions, in light of existing international commitments to uphold indigenous peoples’ and local communities’ land, resource and tenure rights, including the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), the FAO Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security and the Rio+20 outcome document.

Relevant resources

• Recent joint submission of views of FPP and its partners, and several other organisations, on the development of this new work component on customary sustainable use in English, French or Spanish. 
• 2-page FPP Briefing Note (in English and Spanish) on 10(c) for the CBD Alliance